Kolkata, Nov 14 (IANS) A central team of the Election Commission of India (ECI) is coming to West Bengal again next week to review the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) by the poll panel which started on November 4.

This will be the second time in the current month that a central team will reach West Bengal to review the revision exercise, proving that the commission is giving special focus on the progress of SIR in the state, confirmed an insider from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal.

“Earlier this month, a central ECI team, led by the Deputy Election Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti, visited West Bengal soon after the process of distribution of enumeration forms started on November 4. During the three-day visit earlier this month, the central team reviewed the SIR progress in four districts in North Bengal. During the second visit next week, the central team is expected to review the progress mainly in the South Bengal districts,” the CEO’s office insider said.

By the time the central ECI team visits West Bengal next week, the first stage of the three-stage SIR process, the distribution of the enumeration forms, will be completed. Already, enumeration forms had been distributed among 85 per cent of the 7,66,37,529 existing voters in the state till 8 p.m. on Thursday.

The initial deadline for completing the enumeration form distribution process expired on November 11, when the distribution was not done among around 15 per cent of the total voters in the state.

Thereafter, November 14 was scheduled as the fresh deadline for completing the enumeration form distribution process. Completing the distribution of enumeration forms will also mean the end of the first stage of the three-stage SIR process in West Bengal.

The first stage of the three-stage SIR in West Bengal started on November 4. The entire process is expected to be completed by March next year. The last time the SIR was conducted in West Bengal was in 2002.

–IANS

src/rad